Local Club Raises Over $650k to Build 19 Miles of MTB Trails in Wisconsin State Park

A local club in Wisconsin raised an impressive amount of money to fund the first public MTB trail system in Door county.
By Greg Heil
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Sunset on Lake Michigan at Peninsula State Park. Photo: ©juliannafunk via Canva.com

The Friends of Peninsula State Park have raised an impressive $650,000+ to build 19.7 miles of new trails in Peninsula State Park in Door County, Wisconsin. $150,000 was recently committed as a Community Investment Grant, and that funding has tipped the local club over the threshold that they needed to begin construction on the first trails in September.

The State Park is currently home to 12 miles of poorly-designed trails, which are little more than wide cross country ski and snowmobile trails, according to Door County Pulse. The new plan calls for state-of-the-art singletrack to be constructed in the same area as the existing trails. The plan was drawn up by Colorado-based Scott Linnenburger of Kay-Linn Enterprises.

The estimated cost for the entire trail system is about $1.2 million, so the local fundraisers still have plenty of work left to do. Representatives have been adamant that no state dollars are going toward this trail building effort.

It’s unclear why the state is unwilling to pitch in, as “a Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) report for the Upper Lake Michigan Coastal Lake Michigan Region showed very few mountain-biking opportunities,” according to Door County Pulse. In fact, there aren’t any other public mountain bike trails in all of Door County—which is perhaps why the local fundraising initiatives have been so successful.

In any case, with a groundbreaking in September, Door County residents will finally have a mountain bike trail system to call their own. 

Update November 1, 2024:

The first loop of fresh singletrack is now open in Peninsula State Park. Phase 1 is known as the “Blue Loop” and it “includes 5 miles of trail built by Rock Solid Contracting,” according to an article by Paul Wanish on WDOR. “The Blue Loop has berms, rock gardens, drops, ruts, and other features enjoyed by avid mountain bikers,” Wanish continues. What exactly he means by “ruts” is unclear.

Have you ridden the new trail? Tell us about it in the comments below 👇

 
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